Deep Camp has been so full of God moving in the hearts of the students and staff! God has been answering our prayers for more of Him, more of His will, more of His glory...multiplied! All glory is due His name! 

Here are a couple of pictures from this week's sessions...

Deep Camp

After 2 and a half weeks overseas, our team was happy to hit the ground back in Denver, and be re-united with the rest of the KBM staff.  We returned around the same time that 16 days, another one of KBM's training opportunities for high school students, was finishing up, so we were blessed to get to know some of those students as well.  We also got to share with them the celebration in their graduation ceremony, and be a part of launching them as they prepared to return home.  

Praise God for more laborers being sent out! 

In a very quick turnaround, the team prepared for the next adventure and headed up into the mountains to run a 5-day camp for high school students, called Deep Camp.  This is KBM's third year running this camp which is specifically designed to push students outside of their comfort zones and into places of deeper intimacy with God.  This year, the camp is being held in the Rocky Mountains, so we are blessed to be in a location that naturally ushers everyone into a place of worship, as each time you step outside you are greeted by stunning views and panoramas of the mountains that are surrounding us.  The Experience students are taking the reins this week, emceeing the morning and evening sessions, leading small group discussions, and orchestrating team activities.  There are times set aside throughout the week for them to be in classrooms with speakers, as well as to engage in a team building exercise separate from the rest of the camp, so they are continually being poured into as they are also pouring out.  

Last night the camp kicked off with Adrian Despres hitting hard a message on sin and repentance.   He challenged everyone to take a good look at their sin, and understand the weight of even the small stuff, which Christ fully took on as He hung from the cross.  There was an invitation to deal with sin and leave it at the cross that very night - to confess and repent and be prepared to enter into the rest of the week with a clean slate.  The response was incredible - many found themselves on their knees, or on their face, confessing sin before God and before each other and claiming freedom.

From there, the speakers will be calling the students to greater levels of intimacy with God, and challenging them to go out and participate in the Great Commission.  Please pray with us for the movement of the Holy Spirit - in the lives of campers, students, speakers and staff alike.  Pray that hearts would be open, and that deep work would be done that wouldn't easily be shaken upon returning home.  Pray for this week to be not just a camp high, but a launching point.

To Him be all glory, praise and honor!

pictures!

Tomorrow morning we leave for our return flight to Denver. The time has continued to be filled with evidence of God's hand. For now, we wanted to share some images of what these past days have held.

Father's Day in Haiti

Sunday's in Haiti are beautiful and a reminder of what it is to Sabbath. This morning the team traveled to participate in a Haitian service at a local church. We had the opportunity to sing a couple of songs and it seems that the team's presence was a blessing and encouragement to the community there.

This afternoon has been restful. Before lunch, we spent time praying together - for the Haitians, for team unity, for our fathers (we love you dads!) and seeking God for more of Him, more of His glory, more of His will. After lunch we had another round of sharing life stories, hearing and believing that God has been intentional with our journeys and will use them for His glory. As this post is being written, the team is sitting around a large table, guitars pulled out, the Irvine family gathered with us, worshiping together. This house that sits on a hill overlooking the city of Port au Prince is resounding with worship and adoration of the Creator of our universe.

Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Revelation 4:8-11

 

Arrival in Haiti

Wednesday was spent traveling from 6am until 8pm - a long day. But a good day. The AC on the bus was wonderful as we traveled across the DR into Haiti. The border crossing went extremely smooth and we were only two hours behind our scheduled arrival time!

Dan and Joy Irvine welcomed us in Port au Prince and took us to our home for the next 7 days, the Lakay Eli House. It's a beautiful place, full of peace. Today has been a slow day, full of rest. Originally, a project was planned for right after lunch, but because of the weather and other unforeseen things that came up, it was delayed. The extra time gave the team time to rest and spend some time with God.

As we transition, we are excited to see what God has in store in these next few days!

Transition to Haiti

This post was written Tuesday evening, but didn't post for some reason...

Battle was done in the village of Majaguita this weekend, and our God is a God who overcomes. 
Amen?

Sunday morning the team was put in charge of leading a worship service for the people of Majaguita.  God was moving, and bringing in members of the community who haven't been to church in years, but were blessed by encounters with members of our team as they walked through the community just days before to talk with and pray for people. One member of our team was laid on our hearts as the one who should be asked to preach; before he was even approached about it, he mentioned that God had specifically laid a message on his heart for the Sunday morning service.  Another member was called severely out of her comfort zone, as God asked her to step out and lead a specific song for worship that morning.  God laid it on the heart of another member to specifically pray for the breaking of strongholds over the community, and for a revival in Majaguita.  Others were directed to perform a powerful skit displaying the heart of the gospel message.
Everything about the day seemed to have God's hand in it - and it seemed as though after fighting the battle in the morning, we may have kicked the bees' nest a bit.  Our team was feeling a deep heaviness throughout the rest of the day - abnormal weariness, and at times even oppression.  We rested that afternoon, and were able to find remnants of life, but as nighttime came we became more aware of the spiritual warfare that was in the air.  And that night we did battle - Some of our team were called out to pray over doorways, and pray over the buildings and even the roads of the village.  Some were led to read Scripture out loud late into the night.  Others were directed to sing songs of praise and victory and FREEDOM over the community. Bold prayers and powerful truths were proclaimed in that village that night.
For many, it was their first taste of coming face to face with that level of intensity in spiritual warfare.  And the next morning, on our last day in Majaguita, there was a new taste of life.  That afternoon was spent in joy, with water balloon fights, jumping off of rocks and bridges into the river, hikes to the top of the mountain for chocolates and Cokes, and so much laughter and love. 

We left Majaguita and returned to Jarabacoa and Escuela Caribe with lifted spirits.  Today was a day to rest, reunite with some of the students we connected with earlier in the week during our stay at the school, and prepare for the next stage of our trip. 

Tonight was met with overwhelming joy during the time scheduled for youth group with the Escuela Caribe students.  We were on the schedule to lead the night with worship and a message, and the whole deal - but after inviting the students into our temporary home last week, sharing openly and vulnerably with them, and loving them and fighting with them through their own struggles that they brought to the service, they wanted to return the blessing.  The students at the school asked to be allowed to host US - and they stepped out to share their hearts and their stories with us.  It was a beautiful collision of hearts giving glory to God - even as I write this there are echoes coming down the mountain as a group of close to 50 is packed in one living room singing, even shouting their praises to God.

Glory a Dios...
Glory to God.

Tomorrow morning at 6am we begin the trek across Hispaniola to spend the next 8 days in Haiti. 
As the team is waking up to new spiritual realities, pray for increased discernment and boldness for us all.  Pray for unity within our team as we learn to do battle together.  Pray that God would continue to call us to new depths with Him, and also to new heights.


[And if our God is for us, who could be against us?]

Majaguita

We have a short window of time for internet access, so we wanted to update everyone following!

 

The past couple of days the team has been in a small Dominican village called Majaguita. As we opened the door to ‘The Coaster’ we were greeted with hugs from Julito, the village mayor (for lack of a better description). After hiking ten minutes down into the valley, the team was overwhelmed with the beauty of the mountains and the small space of land the village is situated on, just above a beautiful river.

 

The first day we spent the morning touring the mountainside and he various areas of their self-sustaining community. We learned about their crops, how they have developed a system to provide gas, a hydro electric system, saw their homes and animals. The afternoon was open for students to rest and spend some time alone with God. It was nice to meet with God in such a beautiful place. The evening was spent planning and preparing for the next days activities and seeking God’s heart for the community and the people there.

 

Today we split into two teams – one team doing children’s ministry while the other walks around the village, listening for God and seeing where He shows up. As one of the people helping to lead the team, I want to take a second to share how God has been moving. Today I was personally blown away at how God is moving deeply in and through this team. You can hear the sounds of joyous laughter coming from the meeting place where the kids are and you know that the kids are experiencing deep love. During a heavy rain shower, two students walked up to me soaking wet with huge smiles on their glowing faces – they had been playing basketball with some of the kids. Another time I walked by to see the students surrounding a staff member from EC, praying for him. And others come back from walking through the village with stories of how God had used them to usher in life and hope to the families living there. Even though the language barrier is something that we are learning to work through, God has covered us with His grace.

 

Yesterday during a team meeting, we were encouraged to know that “the greatest of these is love” and that “God is able to make all grace about to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed” (2 Cor 9:8). With hearts seeking to glorify God, His grace is covering us and the Spirit is going before us.

 

We will be without internet access until Tuesday, but will provide an update when we return to the school, before heading out to Haiti on Wednesday morning.

 

Thank you for your prayers! Please continue to pray for the team. Pray for the village of Majaguita and the people that make of the community. Pray that we will have eyes to see the ways God is leading us to spread His love to them.

Our layover in Miami

The team made it to Miami and spent there time resting. We're minutes away from boarding our flight to the Dominican Republic and the excitement and anticipation is increasing! Thank you for your continued prayers!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

leaving on a jet plane...

Shortly after the bus rolled back into Denver after being "stranded" in Nebraska, the students were introduced to John Vermilya, one of KBM's itinerant speakers. Leading well off of the few days of intentional discomfort the students were coming back from, John taught an evening session on compassion for the poor, and what Jesus commands us regarding both the physically and spiritually poor and imprisoned. Since then, the students have spent a lot of time back in the classroom, continuing to deepen their understanding of Scripture and the Kingdom of God.


Tonight we were blessed to have friends and family from KBM and beyond gather around and fight for all of us in a concert of prayer. We spent 2 hours worshipping our God and asking for His will, guidance, and protection in the upcoming weeks as we travel. The rest of tonight will be spent packing, and getting as much sleep as possible before our departure at 5am.

We will be in the Dominican Republic from June 5th-15th, and then we will drive to Haiti, where we will be until June 23rd. Please pray with us.

Pray for our team, that we would be united, and continue to learn to live in trust and vulnerability with God and with each other.
Pray that we would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He leads us through each day's activities and interactions.
Pray that our eyes would be opened to see the Dominicans and the Haitians with God's eyes, and love them with His love.
Pray for divine appointments - and pray for those who we will be coming in contact with, that God would begin preparing their hearts now.
Pray also for our health - there are a number on our team who aren't feeling well already, so pray for their restoration as well as protection for the rest of us.

Most importantly, please pray for more of God and less of us, and that HIS will and His alone would be done.

May our God be lifted high.

"...For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you."

[2 Chronicles 20:12]

Intentionally STRANDED! ...in NE

Cell coverage has been sketchy at best the past several days. The team engaged in some highly intentional team building challenges strategically designed to use extreme missionary training to ...well can't tell you everything!!

The team is definitely growing closer and more unified. I guess being stranded for several days together has its positives! Everyone is doing fairly well. Tired. Excited. Currently processing what God has been speaking into their hearts ...and catching some much-needed winks in the busses as we drive across Kansas.

Thanks for praying for the team. Keep it up! The past few days have been "key moments" for several students. God is SO good!

Intentionally STRANDED! ...in NE

Cell coverage has been sketchy at best the past several days. The team engaged in some highly intentional team building challenges strategically designed to use extreme missionary training to ...well can't tell you everything!!

The team is definitely growing closer and more unified. I guess being stranded for several days together has its positives! Everyone is doing fairly well. Tired. Excited. Currently processing what God has been speaking into their hearts ...and catching some much-needed winks in the busses as we drive across Kansas.

Thanks for praying for the team. Keep it up! The past few days have been "key moments" for several students. God is SO good!